JD Vance Defends Trump Amid Pope Spat, Urges Vatican to 'Stick to Morality'
Vice-President JD Vance has publicly weighed in on the escalating feud between Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV, effectively advising the pontiff to stay out of American foreign policy matters. The intervention came after the Pope criticised the White House's handling of the Iran war, prompting a fierce backlash from the US president.
Vance's Fox News Interview
In an interview on Fox News on Monday night, Vance – a Catholic convert himself – stated that the Vatican should concentrate on moral and church issues, while the US president focuses on dictating American public policy. "It would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality, to stick to matters of what's going on in the Catholic church and let the president of the United States stick to dictating American public policy," Vance asserted.
His comments represent the latest development in a spat that began on Saturday when Pope Leo XIV, during evening prayers at St Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, suggested a "delusion of omnipotence" surrounded the Iran war. The Pope declared, "Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war! True strength is shown in serving life," in what was widely interpreted as thinly veiled criticism of the US and Israeli leaders.
Trump's Angry Response
Trump reacted with fury, posting a lengthy diatribe on his Truth Social platform accusing the Pope of being "weak on crime" and "catering to the radical left." He followed this with a now-deleted AI-generated meme depicting himself as a Jesus Christ-like healer, an act that sparked outrage across the political spectrum, including among his evangelical supporters.
Vance entered the dispute after Pope Leo responded on Monday by stating he did not fear the Trump administration and would continue to "speak strongly" against war. When asked about the episode, Vance attempted to downplay the controversy, saying, "Sometimes we're going to have disagreements on matters of public policy. We can respect the pope. We certainly have a good relationship with the Vatican, but we're also going to disagree on substantive questions from time to time."
White House Backlash and Vance's Defense
The backlash to Trump's AI-generated image clearly resonated at the White House, leading to the post's removal after furious responses from some of the president's most fervently Christian supporters. One called the image "disgusting and unacceptable," while another accused Trump of "outrageous blasphemy."
At a White House event on Monday, Trump took credit for posting the image, claiming he was portraying himself as a doctor rather than a religious healer, despite the caricature wearing religious-style robes. Vance insisted that Trump alone decided to remove the post, not due to criticism, but because "the president was posting a joke, and of course he took it down because he recognized that a lot of people weren't understanding his humor."
Vance praised Trump's unfiltered approach, stating, "He likes to mix it up on social media. One of the good things about this president is that he's not filtered, he doesn't send everything through a communications professional. He actually reaches out directly to the people."
The vice-president's loyal defense underscores the ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and the Vatican over the Iran war, highlighting a broader clash between religious morality and political policy-making.
